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1000 Paper Cranes

Posted by Alfredo J. Martiz J. (Panama City, Panama) on 7 August 2007 in Miscellaneous.

An ancient Japanese legend promises that anyone who folds a thousand origami cranes will be granted a wish by a crane, such as long life or recovery from illness or injury.

The Thousand Origami Cranes has become a symbol of peace through the story of Sadako Sasaki, a Japanese girl who contracted leukemia as a result of radiation from the atomic bombing of Hiroshima during World War II. Her story is told in the the book Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes.

Sadako Sasaki was born in 1943, she was two years old when the atomic bomb was dropped in Hiroshima in August 6th, 1945. As she grew up, Sadako was a strong, courageous and athletic girl. In 1955, at age 11, while practicing for a big race, she became dizzy and fell to the ground. Sadako was diagnosed with Leukemia, "the atom bomb" disease.

Sadako's best friend told her of the old Japanese legend of the thousand paper cranes. Sadako hoped that the gods would grant her a wish to get well so that she could run again. She started to work on the paper cranes and completed over 1000 before dying on October 25th, 1955 at the age of twelve.

She never gave up. She continued to make paper cranes until she died. Inspired by her courage and strength, Sadako's friends and classmates put together a book of her letters and published it. They began to dream of building a monument to Sadako and all of the children killed by the atom bomb. Young people all over Japan helped collect money for the project.

In 1958, a statue of Sadako holding a golden crane was unveiled in Hiroshima Peace Park. The children also made a wish which is inscribed at the bottom of the statue and reads:

"This is our cry, This is our prayer, Peace in the world".

Source: Wikipedia, Sadako Story, Thousand Origami Cranes

Hiroshima. August 21st, 2006.

Today I will not post the link to the site of the photoblog awards as a sign of respect and remembrance of those who died because of this terrible event.

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